I Found the Manual for my Camera!

And I’m sure it will help! Just as soon as I read it (baby steps David)

But I am, as usual, running around like a nut-bag trying to get things done in time for the Rose Bowl Sunday. Why does this keep happening? Every Rose Bowl I think “well, next time you’ll get this all set up well in advance” and then, suddenly, it’s next time and……

Ah well.

So I’ve spent the last few days finishing up several projects.

Halloween

Yes that is me.

While you may be thinking that I was a bit precocious being the Elephant Man at age 5, the truth is that I loved the Charlie Brown Halloween special and demanded that that year I would be The Great Pumpkin!

It was admittedly a rather presumptuous idea on my part – my god complex started very early apparently – and my mom tried very hard to come up with what the never-seen GP would look like. I believe refinements took place that made me look less like a physically deformed drunk and more like a God of the Fall before the big day.

However, I do recall that I became increasingly angry during the costume parade when I kept having to explain that no I was not a Goblin I was, in fact, a famous gourd diety! But no one seemed to get it. Story of my life.

Anyway, I have to confess I’m still thrown by the popularity of Halloween and Halloween decorations. Once my mom stopped making me costumes and I was required to GIVE candy rather than GET candy my interest in the holiday kinda waned.

But it seems like the rest of the crowd has really kicked Halloween into high gear and I’m having fun coming up with my own Hallows Eve decoration ideas. So I’ve got a few new candle holders to try out on Sunday that use my vintage Halloween images.

I really like the orange and white, two-tone thing they’ve got going on.

The top was in particularly bad shape so I had a piece of glass cut for it and put some anaglypta wall paper under it for texture.

I think the shots came out OK – lots of room for improvement of course but I’m getting there. I was trying to do the classic magazine shot – you know. books, flowers, random vintage thing sitting around making a nice, color coordinated tableau and implying that the owner is casual but classy, stylish but not fussy.

However, that’s just not me.

I’m thinking that, perhaps, I need to find my own style. However, I’m not sure what that would be……

Maybe I can be the “truth teller” in my shots. A lovely, vintage table surrounded by piles of unfolded laundry. An antique bureau conveniently placed in the front entrance and strewn with junk mail, keys and a random, half-eaten apple (I’m just looking around my house now). Whaddya think? Is truth in blogging where I’ll find my fame?

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About cheltenhamroad

I’ve been surrounded by amazingly creative people my whole life.
My mom can, and does, make anything. The family has on occasion speculated that she just whipped up my dad one day when she discovered some left over fabric and stuffing. My three sisters have mad skills ranging from needlework to cooking to out and out ART. My father’s desk when I was growing up had a model train set going around it, oh, and he made that desk-from scratch.
I’m the youngest and, as you can imagine, it’s a hard series of acts to follow. Truth be told, I’ve spent many, many years suppressing the creative instincts I learned at home.
But I realized (rather late in life) that few things bring me more joy than making and creating. For the longest time when I went to stores I didn’t think, “I want that” I thought, “I can make that.” And, with a deep breath and a leap, I’ve started on a very new, kinda scary path. I’ve given up my steady, dependable (dull!) corporate life to spend my days happily humming away in my garage designing, creating, painting, decoupaging and sawing and, since this blog will be an honest take on things, there is also a fair amount of tripping, spilling and swearing.
Through this blog I hope to share with you the struggles and (hopefully) triumphs of a very non-businessy business person. I also hope to make this blog a resource for people who like to work with their hands and who are, like me, always looking at things and thinking “I could make that!”
I’ve lived many places since I left Cheltenham Road; I currently live in Los Angeles California.
So, with this preamble- Welcome to Cheltenham Road! Please come on over and make yourself comfortable – the place is always open.

David, you crack me up. That Great Pumpkin costume idea from a five year old was very telling of the creativity that was to come! LOVE the table, the color, the wallpaper top, and the styling is impeccable. The photo is great too. Do you have photoshop? Running actions on your photos will give you the money shots. It’s rare to see a great photo that hasn’t been edited in some way. The truth teller shot…what a novel idea. Mine would include Golden Retriever fur that collects and rolls through like tumbleweed! Maybe people aren’t ready for our honesty??? 😉 Lots of luck this weekend!

Hi Uncle David,
The Halloween picture/story put me in mind of one of Maggie’s misunderstood Halloween costume ideas. One year when we were all in our “horseback riding” phase she put on tan leggings, a little black jacket, fashioned a stick to look like a riding whip and topped the whole equestrian look off with, of course, with her black velevet riding helmet. The weather that trick-or-treating night was not cooperating, however, and to protect the velvet from the rain, we had to put a shower cap (unfortunatley of a brown color) over the helmet. Everyone that night commented that it was such an “original” idea to dress up like a mushroom!

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Welcome to Cheltenham Road

Welcome to Cheltenham Road. I’m a fairly late-blooming but passionate crafter, builder and renovator and this is where I share all of my adventures and misadventures. To learn more about me and my growing business click on my picture. Thanks for stopping by.